"She's the favourite right now": Elena Rybakina receives backing for maiden Australian Open title by Martina Navratilova
WTAThursday, 11 January 2024 at 20:00
Martina Navratilova has narrowed it down to two players in the race for supremacy at the 2024 Australian Open with Elena Rybakina in particular seen as the favourite to claim the title by the tennis legend.
Rybakina has been in imperious form to start her season winning Brisbane, but then faltered at the Adelaide International losing out to Ekaterina Alexandrova albeit many thought it was perhaps a step too far for the Kazakh to try and win two tournaments back-to-back then go to the Australian Open.
She opens up against Karolina Pliskova in Melbourne, with likely the main seed she will face being Jessica Pegula in the Quarter-Finals and Iga Swiatek and then a rematch with Aryna Sabalenka could follow. Sabalenka in particular was thrashed by Rybakina in Brisbane as the former Wimbledon champion sent an early season statement.
Navratilova also believes that while Swiatek is the favourite on paper, she is due to her success on the surface but that it will come down to that mooted semi-final on who will seal the title come the end of the two weeks.
"She dropped, what, 15 games in five matches to open the season? She’s been serving great. After losing the final last year, she’ll be super motivated. So, I think for me, she’s the favorite right now. Because the surface suits her better than Swiatek. And she’s got to have a lot of confidence about the way she played, dominating and being healthy. It’s between Swiatek and Rybakina," said Navratilova to WTA Tennis.
Samuel GillEditor-in-Chief
Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of TennisUpToDate.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces across the TennisUpToDate network, playing a central role in the daily operation and development of the site.
Based in Leicester, Samuel has a broad background in tennis media. In his current role, he works closely with editors and writers to ensure coverage meets clear journalistic standards, with particular attention to verification, consistency, and timely updates when new information becomes available.
claps 1visitors 1
Just In
Popular News
Latest Comments
- This article is SPOT ON!!!Rapunzel04-09-2026
- This article is SPOT ON!!!Rapunzel04-09-2026
- Is there no one in Pro Tennis willing to give this one some form of intervention before she crashes??
mandoist04-09-2026 - Double Standards for the male players? Gross. BTW: This "apology" reads like the one his lawyers wrote for him when he had to go to the Kangaroo Court for slapping his girlfriend around.mandoist04-09-2026
- From Day One, legalizing Sports Betting was never going to end well (for The Sport... not just the thousands who lose their livelihoods and bank accounts). We're not even close to the end of the damage this is causing.mandoist03-09-2026
- From Day One, legalizing Sports Betting was never going to end well (for The Sport... not the thousands who lose their livelihoods and bank accounts). We're not even close to the end of the damage this is causing.mandoist03-09-2026
- In her defense... she has no "defense" and likely could not articulate it if she did.mandoist03-09-2026
- Someone is not enjoying her gradual slide down the rankings, which became noticeable last season. BTW: That reporter's on to something familiar -- the effects of Social Media Stardom on one's Second Priority (Tennis). Shades of Bouchard, Giorgi, Raducanu, etc.mandoist03-09-2026
- Sabalenka seems so unhappy. When you get angry after every mistake you make on court, you’ve got some issues sweetie! She also does seem to be “partying” a lot if you follow her social media (I don’t lolol). Very immature personality.DaveyWavey03-09-2026
- The main difference for bigger names like Alcaraz, Sinner, Zverez, etc. is that they usually make it to the later stages of tournaments while 99% of the other players win a round or two and then move on to the next tournament. The bigger names are playing more, playing longer and therefore more injury issues. The money is great but it all comes with a price!DaveyWavey03-09-2026
Loading
